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Introducing the Visual Basic Editor(Unit 1)

Visual Basic for Applications

Objectives In this unit, you’ll learn how to:

Recognize the components of the Visual Basic Editor

Enter code using the Visual Basic Editor

Create a procedure

Internally document a procedure

Display a message in a dialog box

Run, save, and print a procedure

Concept Lesson:Procedures

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the programming language found in many Microsoft and non-Microsoft products

You can use VBA to customize an application to fit your needs

You do so by creating a procedure, which is simply a series of VBA instructions grouped together as a single unit for the purpose of performing a specific task

Procedures You can run some procedures, called macros,

directly from the Macros dialog box

Other procedures, called event procedures, run in response to specific actions you perform on an object

Those actions—such as opening a document, activating a worksheet, or clicking a command button—are called events

Working with Macros in Office 2007 Enable developer tab

Adjust macros security setting

Save as PowerPoint Macro-Enabled Presentation

Powerpoint 2003 shortcut to create macros: ALT+T M R

PowerPoint Options

Macro Security Setting

Disable all macros with notification is safer

The Visual Basic Editor The host application is the application in which you are working

The Visual Basic Editor contains three separate windows:

The main window

The Project Explorer window

The Properties window

Visual Basic Editor will have a similar interface in every application in which it is contained

The main window, at the top of the screen, contains the title bar, the menu bar, and the Standard toolbar

The Visual Basic Editor Opened in Microsoft Excel

Exhibit 1-1: The Visual Basic Editor opened in Microsoft Excel

The Visual Basic Editor The Project Explorer window displays a list of the

open projects and their components

A Module object is simply a container that stores macros and other procedures that are not associated with any specific object in the project

Every VBA object has a set of characteristics, called properties, associated with it that control the object’s appearance and behavior

These properties, along with their values, are listed in the Properties window

The Visual Basic Editor The Toggle Folders button controls the display of the folders in

the Project Explorer window

The Project Explorer window operates similarly to the Windows Explorer window in that a plus sign next to a folder indicates that the folder contains objects

You can use the View Object button to view the object whose name is selected in the Project Explorer window

When an object is selected in the Project Explorer window, you can use the View Code button to open its Code window

The Visual Basic Editor In the Code window, you enter the VBA instructions, called

code, that instruct a procedure on how to perform a task

You enter your VBA instructions between the Public Sub and End Sub lines in the Code window

The Public Sub line denotes the beginning of the procedure whose name follows the word Sub, and the End Sub line marks the end of the procedure

A keyword is a word that has a special meaning in a programming language

Code Window Showing the MorningMsg Procedure

Exhibit 1-2: The Code window showing the MorningMsg procedure

The Visual Basic Editor A sub procedure refers to a block of code that performs a specific

task, but does not return a value

Function procedures, which are designated by the keyword Function, are procedures that can returna value

The keywords Public and Private indicate the procedure’s scope, which determines which objects can use the procedure

A Public scope indicates that the procedure can be used by all objects within the project

The Visual Basic Editor A Private scope indicates that the procedure can be

used only by the object in which the procedure is contained

The keyword End indicates the end of something

The `display message line is a comment

The Object list box either will display the word (General), or it will display the type of object associated with the Code window

The Procedure list box displays the name of the current procedure

The Visual Basic Editor Sometimes scroll bars will appear on the Procedure list box to

indicate that not all of the procedures are currently displayed

You can use Full Module View to view procedures in the code window as a single, scrollable list, or you can use Procedure View to view one procedure at a time.

Entering Instructions in the Code Window

You can enter VBA instructions into a Code window by directly typing each instruction in its entirety, or the Visual Basic Editor can assist you in entering the instructions

The Visual Basic Editor can provide assistance in two ways:

by displaying a listing of an object’s properties and methods after you type the object’s name followed by a period in the Code window

by displaying the syntax, or programming language rules, of a command as you are entering it in the Code window

Entering Instructions in the Code Window

A method is a predefined VBA procedure, which is simply a procedure that the Microsoft programmers have already coded for you

If your preference is to have the Visual Basic Editor assist you when entering instructions, you need to enable

Auto List Members

Auto Quick Info check boxes

When the Auto List Members check box is selected, the Visual Basic Editor will display an object’s members after you type the object’s name followed by a period

Entering Instructions in the Code Window

Exhibit 1-3: The member list for the Application object

Entering Instructions in the Code Window

The properties and methods are listed in alphabetical order, and the list contains a scroll bar, which indicates that not all of the members can be viewed at the same time

The period between the object and its property is known as the dot member selection operator

When the Auto Quick Info check box is selected on the Editor tab of the Options dialog box, the Visual Basic Editor displays the syntax of the command you are typing in the Code window The term syntax refers to the rules of a programming language

Saving a Procedure You save a VBA procedure by saving the

file that contains the procedure

You can use the Save command on the File menu, the Save button on the Standard toolbar, or the key combination Ctrl+S to save the file

After saving a procedure, you then run it to verify that it is working correctly

Running a Procedure

While in the Visual Basic Editor, you can use either the Run menu or the Tools menu to run a procedure

You also click the Run procedureType button on the Standard toolbar or you can press the F5 key

The method you use to run a procedure from the host application depends on the type of procedure being run

Event procedures run automatically in response to the occurrence of an event, such as the opening of a document or the clicking of a command button

Printing a Procedure

You provide external documentation by printing a copy of the procedure’s code; you can do so by right-clicking the project’s name in the Project Explorer window, and then clicking Print on the shortcut menu

You also can use the Print command on the Visual Basic Editor’s File menu, or you can press Ctrl+P

SummaryTo open the Visual Basic Editor:

On the host application press Alt+F11, to open the VBE (Visual Basic Editor)

To open the Project Explorer window, which contains a listing of the open projects and their components:

Click View on the Visual Basic Editor menu bar and then click Project Explorer

To open the Properties window, which contains a listing of properties along with their default values: Click View on the Visual Basic Editor menu bar, and then click Properties

Window

Summary To view the Standard toolbar in the Visual Basic Editor main

window: Click View on the Visual Basic Editor menu bar, point to Toolbars, and then

click Standard

To control the display of the items in the Project Explorer window: Click the Toggle Folders button

To display an object: Click the object’s name in the Project Explorer window, and then click the

View Object button

Summary To open an object’s Code window:

Click the object’s name in the Project Explorer window and then click the View Code button

To have the Visual Basic Editor assist you when entering instructions in the Code window: Click Tools on the Visual Basic Editor menu bar and then click Options

To document a procedure: Provide internal documentation by entering comments in the Code window

Summary To display each procedure in a separate Code window:

Click the Procedure View button in the Code window

To display an object’s code as a single listing in the Code window:

Click the Full Module View button in the Code window

To save a procedure: You save a procedure by saving the file that contains the procedure

SummaryTo run a procedure in order to verify the accuracy of its

instructions: While in the Visual Basic Editor, you can use either the Run menu or the

Tools menu to run a procedure; you also can use the Run procedureType button on the Standard toolbar or you can use the F5 key

To print a procedure: Display the Print dialog box by using the Print command on the Visual Basic

Editor’s File menu, or by pressing Ctrl+P, or right-clicking the object’s name in the Project Explorer window and then clicking Print on the shortcut menu

Coding the Workbook Object’s Open Event Procedure

To save and run the workbook’s Open event procedure you need to open the workbook

Coding the GetGeniusMacro Procedure

A macro is a procedure that the user can run from the Macro dialog box in Excel

Before you can create a macro, you first must insert a Module object into the current project

Coding the DisplayDateMacro Procedure

Unlike the Open event procedure, which runs automatically when someone opens the New Member document, you want to be able to run the DisplayDate procedure whenever you choose to do so

For that to happen, the DisplayDate procedure will need to be a macro procedure

Access Lesson:Using the Visual Basic Editor

in Microsoft Access

As you learned in the Concept lesson, you can use VBA to customize an application to fit your needs

You do so by creating a procedure, which is simply a series of VBA instructions grouped together as a single unit for the purpose of performing a specific task

Coding the Form Object’s Close Event Procedure

An event procedure runs in response to an action performed on an object by the user

A form’s Close event procedure runs automatically when the user closes the form

Coding a procedure in Access

You may want a macro to perform a task for which no action exists in the Macro window’s Action list

In those cases, you need to use the Visual Basic Editor to create a function procedure, and then you use the Action list’s RunCode action to include the procedure in the macro

The RunCode action tells the macro to run the code contained in the function procedure